In the merchandising of relatively small packaged products in retail environments, it frequently is desirable to provide in-aisle product displays, presenting the product in a highly visible and very convenient manner to encourage impulse purchases. There are many known devices for this purpose, among which are reflected in the Thomas V. Murphy U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,377,231 and 4,121,710. Many of these in-aisle displays are designed to be shipped in collapsed or folded form and to be erected at the retail site. In some cases, inexpensive, in-aisle display units may be designed to be shipped along with a special promotional shipment of merchandise. In some cases, the display device is erected at the retail location. In other cases, the display units may be shipped in erected and pre-loaded form with the casters optionally installed. The units can be employed for in-aisle display during a promotional period, after which it can be stored or, in some cases, discarded.
The present invention is directed to an improved, simplified and highly economical erectable display assembly which can be very inexpensively manufactured and shipped to the site of use in a collapsed or erected condition as desired. The principal elements of the display assembly are a foldable tubular support structure comprised of a plurality of hingedly connected wall panels of relatively stiff material, such as corrugated board. The wall panels are joined along their side edges and form an erectable closed polygon having at least three walls and at least four panels. In a typical case, the support structure may comprise four connected panels, which can be erected to rectangular cross sectional configuration.
In combination with the erectable tubular support is a plurality of caster assemblies, one for each corner of the polygonal support. The caster assemblies are of a novel and advantageous design, provided with mounting bases having upwardly opening rigid Channels to receive lower edge portions of the flat panels. The caster assemblies, which include swivel-mounted caster wheels, are installed at the corners of the erected tubular support structure, and serve to retain a pair of hingedly connected wall panels in a predetermined, desired angular relationship. Thus, after mounting of the several caster assemblies to the corners of the erected polygonal support structure, that structure is rigidified in the desired polygonal cross section, suitable for use in the support of a merchandise display.
To advantage, a forming panel, having the configuration of the desired polygonal cross section, is inserted into the bottom of the erected tubular support, to provide additional strength and rigidity. In addition, a foldable internal cross brace structure is advantageously inserted within the support, with vertical panels of interlocking configuration extending diagonally between opposed corners of the support. The internal cross brace structure, which is supported on the forming panel, serves additionally as a load support for product bins or the like, transferring most of the weight load of displayed product directly to the caster assemblies at the bottom of the tubular support structure.
The display assembly may be shipped in folded form, and erected at the retail site, or it may be erected, and possibly even loaded with product, at the manufacturer's place of business. The assembled and loaded unit is readily movable from place to place at the retail site, and thus ideally suited for its intended application. When desired, the display units can be easily disassembled and folded for storage after use.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the followed detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.